Chopper for linear material

ABSTRACT

Apparatus for severing continuous linear material into discontinuous lengths where the apparatus urges two rolls toward each other into cutting engagement and includes a stopping arrangement limiting the extent of movement of the rolls toward each other.

May 8, 1973 References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS I54] CHOPPER FOR LINEAR MATERIAL [75] Inventor: Robert J. Gelin, Newark, Ohio Assignee: Owens-Corning Fiberglas Corporation Stotler....

3/1965 Huck............. 10/1968 Sch1esinger.... ....83/345 X 4/1970 Stream 22 Filed: Nov. 8, 1971 211 Appl.No.: 196,660

Related Application Data Primary Examiner-- Robert L. Lindsay, Jr.

Attorney-Carl G. Staelin et a1. Continuation of Ser. No. 850,780, Aug. 18, 1969, abandoned.

[57] ABSTRACT Apparatus for severing continuous linear material into [52] US. Cl........................83/344, 65/11 R, 83/348,

83/561, 83/913 .B23d 25/12, C0319 37/02 discontinuous lengths where the apparatus urges two rolls toward each other into cutting engagement and 51 Field of Search 1 1 w! 11 R; includes a stopping arrangement limiting the extent of 83/344, 8,348 561; movement of the rolls toward each other.

8 Claims, 6 Drawing Figures and 0 a) 0 v N 20 flmw PATENTED HAY 8 I973 sum 2 UF 4 Eigi INVENTOR. A 055 J 654 //v BY PAIENTED 3,731,575

SHEET u [1F 4 INVENTOR.

#05597 J GEL/N Y CHOPPER FOR LINEAR MATERIAL This is a continuation of application Ser. No. 850,780, filed Aug. 18, 1969, now abandoned.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION While improved prior art choppers used for severing linear material provide cutting adjustment between their cutter and cot rolls, the mounting arrangements of such choppers tend to push the cutter blades into the peripheral surface of the cot roll and restrain or limit the ability of the cot and cutter rolls to move apart.

US. Pat. No. 2,719.336 to Stotler discloses a typical prior art cutter for linear material. The cutter receives strands or linear material from packages or gathers into a strand or strands continuous filaments from a filament forming source. The cutter arrangement includes a cutter roll with radially extending blades, a cot roll with a smooth cylindrical surface in cutting engagement with the cutter roll. The cot roll is on a shaft having a mounting arrangement that allows adjustment of the cot roll toward or away from the cutter roll. Upon adjustment the mounting arrangement limits the distance the rolls can separate.

While prior art choppers such as Stotler finds wide spread use, its operation is far from satisfactory. Because of less than desirable cutting action of such chopper, its speed is relatively slow. Because the mounting arrangement allows for some movement between the rolls, the cutter rolls bang roughly during chopping. As a cutting blade engages the peripheral surface of the cot roll during operation, the blades tend to force the rolls apart. Upon blade disengagement the movable roll closes the distance between the rolls. The repeating cycle of blade engagement and disengagement establishes a banging vibration that limits the cutting speed of the apparatus and excessively jars the machinery. The result is both lower than desirable production rates and higher maintenance costs.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the invention is an improved chopper for severing linear materials.

Another object is a chopper for severing linear material that operates smoothly at higher speeds and consequently provides higher production capacity whether the linear material is from a filament forming source or packages.

Yet another object is a chopper for severing linear material that limits the closeness between its cutting severing rolls.

Still another object is a chopper providing a means establishing cutting engagement allowing use ofa wider range of cutter and cot roll configurations.

Still another object is a chopper for severing linear material that provides modification of the phase" or angular relationship between rolls engaged in cutting relationship.

These and other objects are attained by a cutting arrangement using means yieldably urging two rolls into cutting engagement with linear material delivered between them and stop means limiting the closeness of the rolls.

Other objects and advantages will become apparent as the invention is described more clearly hereinafter in drawings.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is an elevation view of one side of a chopper according to the principles of the invention shown somewhat diagrammatically at a filament forming location where the apparatus pulls continuous glass filaments from molten glass streams supplied from a body of molten glass and gathers the filaments into a plurali' ty of strands that the apparatus chops into discontinuous lengths, the lengths falling onto a moving surface.

FIG. 2 is an elevation view of the other side of the chopper shown in FIG. 1 and shows internal components of the chopper.

FIG. 3 is an end elevation view of the chopper shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 as viewed from the line 33 of FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is an end elevation view of the chopper shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 viewed from the line 4-4 of FIG. 2.

FIG. 5 is a somewhat diagrammatic plan view of the chopper of FIGS. 1 and 2 where the dashed lines indicate some of the helical gears of the drive system meshing in offset relation to cause a change in the angular orientation of the rolls of the: chopper.

FIG. 6 is a side elevation view of the chopper shown in FIG. 1-5 modified to advance continuous glass strands from a plurality of serving packages.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS While the invention finds particular use in chopping glass strands, one may use the invention to chop linear material made from other materials such as nylon, polyester and the like. Such linear material may be a monofilament or multifilament. Glass strand is an example only to explain the operation of the invention. FIGS. 1 3 show apparatus for processing molten glass streams into continuous filament glass strands and chopping thestrands into discontinuous lengths, which fall onto a moving surface located below the chopper. Illustrated is a container or bushing 10 that holds a supply of molten glass. The container may connect to a forehearth that supplies molten glass from a furnace or it may connect to a means supplying glass such as glass marbles, which a melter or other means associated with the container 10 reduces to heat: softened condition. Located on the container 10 are terminals 12 that connect to a source of electrical energy to supply heat to the container 10 by conventional resistance heating to maintain the molten glass at a proper filament forming temperature and viscosity. Moreover, the container 10 has a bottom wall 14 that includes a plurality of orifices or passageways such as orificed projections 15 that deliver streams of molten glass 16 from the container A chopper l8 attenuates the streams 16 into continuous filaments 20 that combine into a plurality of filament bundles or strands 22 at a gathering shoe 24 located below the container 10. The gathering shoe 24 has spaced apart fingers 26 that separate the strands 22.

An applicator 28 supported within a housing 30 is normally provided to apply sizing or a coating material to the advancing strands 22. The applicator 28 may be any suitable means known to the art such as a cylinder rotatably mounted to move through a sizing or other liquid held in the housing 30. As the strands 22 pass across the surface of the applicator 28, some of the liquid on the applicator transfers to them.

The chopper 18 advances the strands 22 downwardly to turn across an elongated grooved shoe 32 and a grooved idler wheel 34 prior to moving upwardly to engage the peripheral surface of a rotating element such as a cot roll 40 of the chopper 18. The grooved shoe 32 and idler wheel 34 can be of a design discussed in US. Pat. No. 3,265,482.

Frictional adhesion between the strands 22 and the smooth peripheral surface of the rotating cot 40 provides sufficient engagement to generate the pulling force that attenuates the filaments from the molten glass streams 16. The cot roll 40 is of sufficient diameter for the character of its surface to function as a pulling wheel for the filaments 20.

On the peripheral surface of the cot roll 40 the strands 22 advance to be cut at a cutting zone formed by the chopper 18 between the cot roll 40 and an adjacent rotating element such as cutter roll 42 having spaced apart blades 43 projecting from its cylindrical peripheral surface. As shown the blades 43 touch the peripheral surface of the cot roll as the rolls engage in cutting relationship to sever the strands 22 advancing between them. Discontinuous lengths of glass strand 44 severed by the cutter l8 shower onto a moving surface 46 located below the cutter.

The construction of the chopper 18 is more plainly seen in FIGS. 2 and 3. These Figures show a construction where the rolls 40 and 42 mount on spaced apart shafts 50 and 52 respectively. The shaft 50 is fixed; the shaft 52 is movable. An electrical motor 54 and drive system synchronously rotate the rolls. Further, the Figures show means resiliently urging the rolls 40 and 42 toward each other and stop means limiting the distance between the rolls. Such stop means can control the pressure of the blades against the peripheral surface of the cot roll or can fix the rolls with the blades moving a selected minimum distance from the peripheral surface of the cot roll.

v The electrical motor 54 connects to the shaft 50 and the drive system through a belt 56, which as illustrated extends between a sheave 58 on the output shaft 60 of the motor 54 and a sheave 62 on the shaft 50. As the electrical motor 54 rotates the shaft 50, the shaft 50 rotates the cot roll 40 and through a drive system of meshing gears rotates the shaft 52, which drives the cutter roll 42 in rotation.

As shown, the drive system includes a gear train of four helical gears, i.e. helical wheel gears 70, 72, 74 and 76. The gear 70, which is on the shaft 50, meshes with the gear 72 to rotate it. The gear 72 meshes with horizontally disposed gear 74, which in turn meshes with the gear 76. The gear 76 is above gear 74 and is on the shaft 52. As illustrated the diameters of gears 70 and 76 are equal; the diameters of gears 72 and 74 are equal.

As the motor 54 rotates the gear 70 by rotating the shaft 50 through the belt 56, the intermeshing gears of the drive system rotate the shaft 52, the rolls 40 and 42 being moved synchronously.

The cutter roll 42 mounts on a movable shaft, i.e. the shaft 52. As more plainly seen in FIGS. 2 and 4, a pivotly mounted yoke 80 holds the shaft 52. In the Figures the yoke 80 includes two arm members 82 and 84 and cross member 86 spaced from the shaft 52 and connecting the arm members 82 and 84 near their upper ends. The arm members 82 and 84 pivotly mount on a shaft 88 that also holds the helical gear 74. The shaft 88 is held by vertical members 92 and 94 of a support 90. Such a mounting arrangement allows the yoke to move about a fixed axis, i.e. the shaft 88, while keeping the meshing relationship of the helical gears 74 and 76.

The chopper construction provides means for urging the rolls 40 and 42 toward each other and stop means limiting the extent of movement toward each other. The illustrated embodiment shows a piston and cylinder arrangement providing both the means for yieldably urging the rolls toward each other and stop means. The piston and cylinder arrangement includes two identical units, one for each arm member of the yoke 80. Each unit includes a cylinder 100, an adjustable support means 102 and a piston 104 and its associated piston rod 105. Referring to only one unit, the adjustable support means 102 holds the cylinder at one of its ends and the piston 104 and the piston rod 105 holds the cylinder at the other end. The piston 104 and piston rod 105 connect the cylinder 100 with the upper end of one of the arm members of the yoke 80. The adjustable support means 102, which includes threaded member 106 and nuts 108, connect the other end of the cylinder 100 with the sidewall of the chopper 18. The threaded member 106 pierces a side wall of the chopper 18. A pin 110 pivotly unites the threaded member 106 with a connecting bracket 112 on the cylinder 100. One may turn the threaded member 106, which moves in the sidewall of the chopper, to move the location of the cylinder 100 to the left or to the right as viewed in FIG. 2. The nuts 108 secure the member 106 in desired location.

Suitable means supplied fluid under pressure to one end internally of the cylinder 100. The fluid under pressure operates on the yoke 80 through the piston 104 and piston rod 105 to urge the rolls 40 and 42 toward each other. As seen in H6. 2 fluid, e.g. air, under pressure, enters internally of the cylinder 100 at its left end and forces the piston 104 to move against the other end of the cylinder 100. Such piston movement pivoting the yoke 80 to the right to establish a desired minimum distance, i.e. a maximum closeness, between the rolls 40 and 42.

Because the support means 102 locates the position of the cylinder 100 on the sidewall of the chopper 18 and the piston rod 105 is of fixed dimension, the upper end of the yoke 80 can pivot toward the shaft 50 (cot roll 40) only a limited amount, further movement being stopped by positive physical contact between the piston 104 and the end of the cylinder 100 nearest the yoke 80. One can turn the threaded member 106 in the sidewall of the chopper 18 to modify the position of the yoke stop location, which determines the closeness of the rollers 40 and 42.

Depending on the configuration of the cot and cutter rolls, one can locate the peripheral surfaces of the rolls to desired closeness, e.g. in blade touching relationship or spaced apart, to provide a selected cutting engagement of the rolls for the strands 22 advancing between them.

In operation the strands 22 advance between the rolls 40 and 42 and are cut into the discontinuous lengths 44. Any overloading of the chopper 18 caused by bunching of the strands that presents a thicker filament bundle passing between the rolls tends to press the rolls apart against the yieldable force of the fluid pressure within the cylinder 100.

While the Figures illustrate the rolls to be about the same size one can modify the apparatus of the invention to include rolls of different sizes, e.g. where either roll may be larger than the other. Moreover, one can employ two cutter rolls operating to have their blades cooperate to sever linear material advancing between them. In an arrangement using two cutter rolls one may locate the rolls to move the blades into contacting cutting relationship during rotation of the rolls or may locate them to move the blades into non-touching cutting relationship during operation.

The invention provides for a shift in phase or angular relationship between the cot roll 40 and cutter roll 42. Without a chopper construction providing for such a shift, the same peripheral zones of the rolls will always engage or come together in cutting relationship and thereby cause excessive wear in such zones.

Modifying the meshing engagement of the certain helical gears of the chopper causes the desired angular shift of the rolls. As more plainly seen in FIGS. 2 and 3, the idler gear 72 mounts on a movable support 115 having upstanding spaced apart members 118 and 120 extending upwardly from a base 122. The base 122 has elongated openings such as slots 124 through which threaded securing members 126 extend to tighten the base 122 against the bottom wall of the chopper 18. The slots 124 provide for movement of the support 115 laterally of the peripheral surface of the helical wheel gear 70, i.e. widthwise between the side walls of the chopper 18. The vertical members 118 and 120 hold a multiple shaft 128 at its ends. As illustrated, the shaft 128 includes identical end pieces 130 and a central member 132. Each of the end pieces 130 extends away from its associated upstanding members (118, 120) to terminate with a conical bearing portion 134 that engages a bearing recess 136 in the ends of the central member 132. Thus the central member 132 rotates on the conical bearing portions 134 of the end pieces 130.

As more plainly seen in FIGS. 5 and 6, one may move the support 115 either to the left or right to modify the meshing engagement of the helical gear 72 with the gears 70 and 74, such modified meshing engagement changing the angular or phase relationship of the rolls 40 and 42 by moving the cutter roll 42. Moving the gear 72, as shown in FIG. 5, to the dashed line location indicated as 72' angularly changes the location of a Zone A on the peripheral surface of the cot roll 40 against which the blades 43 cooperate to a new location indicated as A. Moving the gear 72 to the dashed line location indicated as 72" changes the location of Zone A on the roll 40 in the opposite direction to location A.

FIG. 6 shows the chopper 18 severing continuous glass strands advancing from a plurality of packages such as packages held in a creel. The chopper 18 cuts the continuous glass strands 160 into discontinuous lengths 164, which fall onto a removing surface 166 located below the chopper. The chopper 18, which uses the cot 40 and the cutter roll 42 in cutting engage- 6 ment as described in relation to the apparatus shown in FIGS. 1 through 4, has an idler roll that rides in touching relationship on the upper peripheral side of the cot roll 40. The chopper 18 advances strands between the engaged peripheral surfaces of the rotating idler roll 150 and cot roll 40. Through the weight of the idler roll 150 and its frictional rotation by the cot roll 40 the chopper l8 pulls the strands 160 from their source and advances them to the cutting zone between the rolls 40 and 42.

Iclaim: 1. Apparatus for producing discontinuous lengths of linear material comprising:

a pair of generally parallel rotatable drive shafts; a pair of elements each fixed on one of the drive shafts;

at least one blade on one of the elements extending outwardly from the axis of rotation of such element, the elements located in adjacent cutting relation for severing linear material passed therebetween, at least one of the elements being freely movable toward the other;

means urging the elements toward each other;

stop means limiting the extend of movement of the elements toward each other;

means for rotating the elements comprising a drive of meshing helical gears rotatable on generally parallel shafts including at least one helical gear fixed on each of the drive shafts; and

means' for modifying the angular relationship between the elements including means for moving at least one of the helical gears in an axial direction with respect to an engaging gear to effect an angular displacement of the shafts with respect to each other.

2. Apparatus for producing discontinuous lengths of linear material:

a first rotatable shaft;

a cutter roll on the first shaft;

blades extending in spaced relation from the peripheral surface of the cutter roll;

a second rotatable shaft oriented in a direction parallel to the first shaft;

a cot roll adjacent to the cutter roll on the second shaft, the rolls being engaged in cutting relation and at least one of the rolls lbeing freely movable with respect to each other;

means for synchronously rotating the rolls comprising a drive of meshing helical gears rotatable on parallel axes including at least one helical gear fixed on each of the shafts;

means for delivering linear material between the rolls;

means for pneumatically urging the rolls toward each other;

stop means limiting the closeness of the rolls, linear material delivered between the rolls being cut into discontinuous lengths; and

means for modifying the angular relationship between the rolls including means for moving one of the drive gears in an axial direction with respect to an engaging gear to effect an angular displacement of the rotatable shafts with respect to each other.

3. Apparatus of claim 2 in which the means for pneumatically urging the rolls toward each other includes an air cylinder, a piston rod movable lengthwise of the cylinder, a piston within the cylinder on one end of the piston rod and means for supplying air under pressure to the cylinder.

4. Apparatus for cutting glass strand into discontinuous lengths comprising:

a shaft rotatable on a fixed axis; a cot roll on the fixed axis shaft; a freely movable shaft oriented in a direction parallel to the fixed axis shaft; a cutter roll on the freely movable shaft, blades extending in spaced apart relation from the periphery of the cutter roll; pneumatic means acting on the cutter roll resiliently urging it into cutting relationship with the cot roll; means for rotating the rolls comprising a drive of meshing helical gears each rotatable on an axis parallel to the rotatable shafts and including at least one helical gear on each of the shafts; stop means limiting the distance between the rolls, glass strand delivered between the rolls being cut into discontinuous lengths; and means for modifying the angular relationship of the rolls including means for moving one of the helical gears in an axial direction with respect to an engaging helical gear to effect an angular displacement of the shafts with respect to each other.

5. Apparatus recited in claim 4 where the cot roll is mounted on a freely movable shaft, the cutter roll is mounted on a fixed shaft and there is pneumatic means acting on the cot roll resiliently urging it towards the cutter roll.

6. Apparatus of claim 5 in which the means for moving the helical gear includes a carriage rotatably holding the gear and movable in an axial direction of the gears. I

7. Apparatus of claim 6 in which the carriage includes a three element shaft holding the gear, such shaft comprising two fixed end shaft elements rotatably supporting a central shaft element.

8. Apparatus of claim 7 in which the central shaft element includes a bearing recess at each of its ends and each of the fixed end shaft elements includes a conical bearing portion engaging one of the bearing recesses. 

1. Apparatus for producing discontinuous lengths of linear material comprising: a pair of generally parallel rotatable drive shafts; a pair of elements each fixed on one of the drive shafts; at least one blade on one of the elements extending outwardly from the axis of rotation of such element, the elements located in adjacent cutting relation for severing linear material passed therebetween, at least one of the elements being freely movable toward the other; means urging the elements toward each other; stop means limiting the extend of movement of the elements toward each other; means for rotating the elements comprising a drive of meshing helical gears rotatable on generally parallel shafts including at least one helical gear fixed on each of the drive shafts; and means for modifying the angular relationship between the elements including means for moving at least one of the helical gears in an axial direction with respect to an engaging gear to effect an angular displacement of the shafts with respect to each other.
 2. Apparatus for producing discontinuous lengths of linear material: a first rotatable shaft; a cutter roll on the first shaft; blades extending in spaced relation from the peripheral surface of the cutter roll; a second rotatable shaft oriented in a direction parallel to the first shaft; a cot roll adjacent to the cutter roll on the second shaft, the rolls being engaged in cutting relation and at least one of the rolls being freely movable with respect to each other; means for synchronously rotating the rolls comprising a drive of meshing helical gears rotatable on parallel axes including at least one helical gear fixed on each of the shafts; means for delivering linear material between the rolls; means for pneumatically urging the rolls toward each other; stop means limiting the closeness of the rolls, linear material delivered between the rolls being cut into discontinuous lengths; and means for modifying the angular relationship between the rolls including means for moving one of the drive gears in an axial direction with respect to an engaging gear to effect an angular displacement of the rotatable shafts with respect to each other.
 3. Apparatus of claim 2 in which the means for pneumatically urging the rolls toward each other includes an air cylinder, a piston rod movable lengthwise of the cylinder, a piston within the cylinder on one end of the piston rod and means for supplying air under pressure to the cylinder.
 4. Apparatus for cutting glass strand into discontinuous lengths comprising: a shaft rotatable on a fixed axis; a cot roll on the fixed axis shaft; a freely movable shaft oriented in a direction parallel to the fixed axis shaft; a cutter roll on the freely movable shaft, blades extending in spaced apart relation from the periphery of the cutter roll; pneumatic means acting on the cutter roll resiliently urging it into cutting relationship with the cot roll; means for rotating the rolls comprising a drive of meshing helical gears each rotatable on an axis parallel to the rotatable shafts and including at least one helical gear on each of the shafts; stop means limiting the distance between the rolls, glass strand delivered between the rolls being cut into discontinuous lengths; and means for modifying the angular relationship of the rolls including means for moving one of the helical gears in an axial direction with respect to an engaging helical gear to effect an angular displacement of the shafts with respect to each other.
 5. Apparatus recited in claim 4 where the cot roll is mounted on a freely movable shaft, the cutter roll is mounted on a fixed shaft and there is pneumatic means acting on the cot roll resiliently urging it towards the cutter roll.
 6. Apparatus of claim 5 in which the means for moving the helical gear includes a carriage rotatably holding the gear and movable in an axial direction of the gears.
 7. Apparatus of claim 6 in which the carriage includes a three element shaft holding the gear, such shaft comprising two fixed end shaft elements rotatably supporting a central shaft element.
 8. Apparatus of claim 7 in which the central shaft element includes a bearing recess at each of its ends and each of the fixed end shaft elements includes a conical bearing portion engaging one of the bearing recesses. 